The competition marked the region’s first countywide student investment challenge of its kind.
January 22, 2026 – Palm Beach County, FL – The inaugural Wall Street South Stock Pitch Competition, hosted by the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB), concluded last night after bringing 21 public and private high schools together for a rare, high-level experience — pitching live investment recommendations directly to 15 prominent finance executives.
The fast-paced, collegiate-style competition mirrored elite university investment challenges as student teams advanced through four simultaneous pitch rooms, each judged by executive panels. David Tuthill, Head of Florida for Point72, announced the finalists who then competed live in a “Final Four Finale” battling for the title.
With $10,000 in prizes, final standings were:`
- Champions: Pine Crest School
- Second Place: The Pine School
- Third Place: Atlantic Community High School
- Finalist: Palm Beach Gardens High School
Pine Crest received the inaugural Wall Street South Grand Trophy, a traveling award that will be passed to a new school each year.
The program also featured career talks from finance leaders, giving students the opportunity to ask direct questions about education paths, internships, and entering the industry. Students from Glades Central Community High School were among the most active participants during these discussions.
More than just a competition, the event reinforced a defining truth about the region: Wall Street South is not a concept — it’s an active ecosystem. With 119,000 financial service jobs across the Palm Beaches with average salaries of $126,000, the competition offered students a clear line of sight to high-level careers available right here in their backyard. Schools were represented from Boca Raton to Jupiter and west to the Glades Region, spanning 11 private schools and 10 public schools.
“This competition highlights the next generation of talent and strengthens workforce development for Palm Beach County,” said David Tuthill, Head of Florida at Point72. “As the financial sector grows in South Florida, students can now see real opportunities waiting for them at home.”
Held at Palm Beach State College’s Palm Beach Gardens campus, the competition was hosted under the Business Development Board’s official brand, Wall Street South®, and supported by leading names in finance and business. Official partner sponsors included Point72, Tremblant Capital, RiverNorth, and the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation, with additional support from DSM Capital Partners, Gunster, and Spina O’Rourke + Partners.
“Wall Street South continues to gain traction, and this event placed students directly in front of real opportunity,” said Kelly Smallridge, President and CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County. “By connecting education to industry, we are strengthening the region’s long-term talent pipeline.”
The Wall Street South Stock Pitch Competition was developed through the Business Development Board’s Public/Private Education Task Force, the only forum in the region where public and private school leaders convene year-round to align education with workforce needs. Through the leadership of task force members, students across the region prepared for this experience from the start of the school year under structured, professional guidelines. In several cases, interest was so strong that schools held internal competitions to determine which teams advanced to the countywide event.
Participating schools include:
- Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
- American Heritage School
- Atlantic Community High School
- Boca Raton Community High School
- Boynton Beach Community High School
- Cardinal Newman High School
- FAU High School
- Glades Central High School
- Jupiter Christian School
- Olympic Heights Community High School
- Oxbridge Academy
- Pahokee Middle-Senior High School
- Palm Beach Gardens High School
- Pine Crest School
- Saint Andrew’s School
- Spanish River Community High School
- The Benjamin School
- The King’s Academy
- The Pine School
- William T. Dwyer High School
- Xceed Preparatory Academy
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The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB) serves as the county’s official public/private economic development organization. Established in 1982, the BDB is dedicated to attracting and retaining industries, fostering business investments, creating high-quality jobs, and supporting workforce development through corporate relocations, expansions, and international trade initiatives. Over the past five years, the BDB has supported more than 140 companies, contributing to the creation or retention of over 13,110 direct jobs with average salaries exceeding $80,000 per year. These efforts have driven more than $1.12 billion in capital investments into Palm Beach County.
